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Independent and Hollywood Films

British Film has been dominated by Hollywood since WW1. Any essay that discusses UK Film has to

reference the cultural and ideological dominanceof the Hollywood Film Industry to such as point that

many cinema goers often will never see a film in any other environment than a multiplex cinema.

They may also fail to recognise that many other countries have very successful film industries - this

reflects a concept called the Hollywood Hegemony. Many Hollywood films are able to synergisetwo

compatible products e.g. Star Trek/ Angels and Demonsare both a computer game and a feature

film.

British Film can be defined on a number or levels (Culturally and Institutionally) e.g. commercially

successful British Films like Slumdog Millionaireare only so because they are distributedby 20th

Century Fox. Films like The Boat That Rockedare only commercially successful because they are

distributed by Universal Studios. Independentfilms like Shiftyand Looking for Ericcan be

categorised as British using Institutional and Cultural definitions. The UK Film Counciloften

claim that films like Harry Potterare British and proudly incorporate them into their statistics but the

key problem is that these films are distributed by Hollywood Studios like Warners / Parmount / Sony

/ 20th Century Foxwhich means much of the profit for these films is not ploughed back into the

British Film Industry. For example, the most commercially successful British film of the last 20 years

is The Full Montybut this film was distributed by Fox Searchlight(the independent arm of 20th

Century Fox.

American audiences often buy into the cultural stereotypes(exaggerated, hyper real representations)

offered by many British films typified by the key collaboration between Working Title and Universal

Studios. This successful collaboration has raised the profile and reputation of the British Film Industry

with films like The Boat That Rockedand Atonement. Many of the settings and actors are familiar toAmerican audiences and some British films like Notting Hilland Bridget Jonesoften have the

additional familiarity of an American actor to ensure American audiences relate to the film e.g. as in

Love Actuallywhich was commercially successful in the states. Some British recently have also

been set in the U.S. e.g. How to Make Friends and Alienate Peoplewith Simon Pegg, an actor who is

now well known to American audiences through Shaun of the Deadand Hot Fuzz(both Working

Title and Universal Studios). Ricky Jervais has had similar success in the States.

Commercially successfulBritish Films tend to have higher production valuesthan smaller

independent films often directed by an auteurlike Mike Leigh(Happy Go Lucky) and Ken Loach

(Looking For Eric) whose main aim is not necessarily to receive commercial success but to gain

critical success. Many commercially successful Hollywood films of recent years have been sequels or

prequelsor part of a large franchisewhich has ensured audience familiarity through audience cultural

capitali.e. they are again familiar with the texts. Blumler and Katzs 1974 Uses and Gratifications

Theorycan also apply to major Hollywood Films (audience appeals) and also Proppand Todorovs

Theory of Narrative Structure. The major Hollywood Studios form an oligopolyof ownership

dominating global markets and ensuring commercial success by saturated advertising campaigns

which many British Films cannot compete with. Many films become Event Moviesas audiences are

hooked by key dates that films will be released on e.g. Star Trekand the latest Harry Potter.

Hollywood has often re-invented itself over the years to maintain this dominance e.g. it developed the

idea of the High Concept Filmlike Avatar (3D)distributed by 20th Century Fox which could be

easily marketed to Hollywood studio executives in one sentence. Hurt Lockerachieved the Best

Picture Oscar in 2010.

Star marketingis another way in which Hollywood Studios attract mass audiencesbut also through

the type of films being offered this is called genre marketing. British Filmtends to focus oncommercially successful genres like the Period Dramaand the RomComwhile British Films

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critically successfulgenre is Social Realism. Non realist Hollywood escapist films like Avatar, Lord

of the Ringsand Harry Potterbelong to the successful fantasy genre while another key success in

terms of genre in Hollywood would be Science Fiction(2012). Many Hollywood Studios/Distributors

are now owned by Multi National Conglomerateslike the News Corporationwho own 20th Century

Fox, Sonywho own Columbia Tri Star (Angels and Demons) and MGM and Viacomwho own

Paramount (Star Trek).

There are a number of successful production companies in the UKwho are responsible for making

(producing) a number of commercially successful films e.g. Working Title, Granada(The Queen)

and Eon(Bond Films) but the UK remains an industry that is production led with emphasis on the

narrativeas opposed to Hollywood films which benefit from wide or saturated distributionwith

emphasis on the look, glossy mise-en-scene combined with star marketing and significant narrative

action codes. Independent British Filmslike This is Englandtend to offer more realist

representationswhich explore complex narrative themeswhile UK Films that collaborate with H-

wood studios often have positive outcomes to appeal to mass audiences. British Film have benefited

(only critically) from a range of independent distributorse.g. Optimum(This is England), Icon

(Looking for Eric) and Vertigo(Football Factory) although Vertigo in 2009 collaborated with

Hollywood with their first UK/US film The Firmwhich was a remake of the 1989 Alan Clarke film

with a young Gary Oldman playing a football hooligan, a culturally British storylineused manytimes before in Green Street, ID and Football Factory.

Another key collaboration for British Film has been between Film4 and the UK Film Council(now a

disbanded Quango) on several films including This is Englandand Looking for Eric. This ensures

another site of exhibition (Film4) who along with the historical UK Film Councils Funds (Premiere

Fund, New Cinema Fund, Development Fund and Prints and Advertising Fund)are looking to

sustain success within the British Film Industry. The UK Film Councils role has now been subsumed

by the BFI. European collaborations with Pathe(French Distributor) & Canal+in recent years e.g.

The Duchesshave also helped to extend the reputation of the industry. Film festivals like Cannes

(France) are also an opportunity for films like Ken LoachsLooking for Ericand in 2006 The Queen

with Helen Mirren to represent the prestige of British Film and to enhance the reputation of the

industry.

In 2010 Four Lions(Film4 funding, independent distribution, written by Brass Eye Chris Morris)

premiered at film festivals to guarded critical acclaim due to its controversial content and narrative

themes of terrorism and suicide bombings. In October the London Film Festivalshowcased a

number of new British Films and World Cinema. The Last King of Scotlandopened the 2008 LFF

which was then picked up and distributed by Fox Searchlight. British Film has been through a form of

renaissance (re-birth) since the 1980s and offers, as Jill Nelmessuggests in An Introduction to Film

Studiesa number of disparate films, genres and movements.